Temple Breath

During the Temple Breath you are tracing a big inverted heart in the air with your fingertips. Breathe in through your nose and then exhale slowly through tightly pursed lips (as if you were making a long thin smooth “ribbon” of air). IMPORTANT! Remember that you always set up a comfortable breathing rhythm FIRST and only then match the movement to the breath.

1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart with toes pointed forward. Keep your shoulders and neck completely relaxed especially when your arms are raised. As always, empty before you begin.
2. Join your palms in front of your chest. Inhale slowly while you are moving your joined palms up past your nose and as far overhead as you can easily reach.
3. As you blow out a breath slowly through pursed lips, separate your hands stretching them first out sideways, then downward and finally back to their starting position (palms together in front of your chest). At this point you will have completed one complete breath cycle). Continue for as long as you are comfortable.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Review #6

Do your best to spend a little quiet time each day. Focus on the sound of your own natural breathing or pick a single point for visual focus. Unlike the hunter/gatherer/farmer of several generations ago we rarely spend a quiet moment. Even as they sleep, city dwellers are washed over by the constant sound of traffic, sirens, planes, the hum of their own appliances, garbage collection, newspaper delivery, etc. Your deep inner voice will not shout. You must listen carefully to hear.

Proper posture is essential for efficient breathing. The bones should be lightly balanced one on top of the other so that muscles can remain relaxed. A rule of thumb when sitting or standing is to keep your head over your tailbone.

Get to a respiratory specialist for up-to-date testing and diagnosis if you have a chronic cough or other breathing problems. Unfortunately, lungs aren’t able to rebuild themselves (yet) so until that day comes we need to diligently protect what we’ve got.

Controlling air pollution, in homes and workplaces, is time consuming, complicated and terribly costly. The only thing more expensive is not controlling air pollution. Industry will only improve when faced with the overwhelming tide of public pressure. Vote and make your voice heard.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Deflation

Picture a large red balloon floating in front of you. The surface is stretched so thin that the light shines through. Balloon tension is good. Human tension? Not so much.

With a little practice you can use the balloon image and your breathing to release physical tension at will. Deflation is a relatively easy exercise since it is based on the natural exhalation phase of your breathing cycle.

Since you never stop breathing 24/7, Mother Nature designed each exhalation as a mini-rest. To inhale, the muscles between your ribs (intercostals) cause the ribs to flare slightly up and out. The muscular floor (diaphragm) stretched across the bottom of your ribcage flattens downward. This muscular movement creates enough of a vacuum in your chest to draw in new air.

Exhalation happens when all these muscles relax and let go. The ribs drop down again. The diaphragm rises to its domed-up natural resting position in the ribcage. The slightly smaller chest cavity pushes the stale air out. Inhalation is work. Exhalation is letting go.

You may be surprised at how much physical tension you have been carrying. After awhile tension begins to feel normal. Use the balloon image and imagine that each time you breathe out, you are releasing tension from your body along with the outgoing air. After a little practice release of deep tension will take only a few breath-cycles. Just imagine that you are releasing air from a balloon.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Complete Breath

The Complete Breath massages and cleanses all the nooks and crannies of both lungs. It isn’t often necessary during a typical day to function in “full lung mode.” Most of the time you can do well enough by deep breathing without activating the tight narrow upper chest.

However, when you dash up the stairs (for those of you who still dash) or chase after a two-year-old, you need additional oxygen so you ADD mid-chest and collarbone breathing TO the deep breathing (NOT INSTEAD OF). It is, however, essential that you exercise every square-inch of your lung tissue regularly to keep it clean and elastic.

1. Empty as much air as is comfortable while keeping a straight and balanced spine. As you inhale slowly through your nose, let the first bit of incoming air expand your lower ribcage.
2. Continuing with that same inhalation, ADD a bit more of breath #1 to the mid-lungs (behind the breastbone).
3. The final bit of air fills the tight narrow upper lungs. Raise your shoulders slightly to make space. This single incoming breath should flow seamlessly without strain or exaggeration. Do not overfill!
4. The outgoing air follows the same pattern – empty the bottom first, then the breastbone area and finally the small amount of remaining air from the narrow and restricted upper lungs. If you have been lazy-breathing for sometime, Complete Breath may make you cough once or twice as you clear all the lazy bits.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.